Educational support for the first German free-flyer return mission

The project “LUKE – Lunar Competence Development in Schools” brings Germany’s first Free-Flyer return mission into school education.

The focus is on the complete mission sequence, from rocket launch and the autonomous operation of scientific experiments in microgravity to controlled return, recovery, and scientific analysis of the payloads. This will make a real German space mission available for the first time as a continuous teaching and learning scenario for lower and upper secondary education.

The project builds on the many years of experience gained by the Interdisciplinary Geoinformation Science working group at Ruhr University Bochum through the projects Columbus Eye, KEPLER ISS, CalliopEO, LEIA, and ESERO Germany. It transfers proven concepts of mission-related science communication to the new Free-Flyer mission.

The project will develop browser-based teaching modules, explanatory and mission videos, interactive learning applications, datasets, teaching materials, and teacher training courses. These can be used flexibly in regular lessons, project days, and extracurricular learning environments. All materials will be freely accessible, browser-based, and usable without specialized hardware.

A three-tier participation concept is a central element. All schools will receive open educational materials about the mission. In addition, classes can participate in nationwide school activities related to the rocket launch and mission data. Selected model schools will receive support through Mission Labs featuring ApexExplorer rockets, in-depth data analysis, and practical mission days.

In parallel, a school initiative planned jointly with Calliope gGmbH will enable students to run their own programs on the actual Free-Flyer mission, allowing them to participate directly in current space activities.

In addition to teaching scientific and technical content, LUKE highlights the division of responsibilities within modern spaceflight—from launch systems and payload operations to return technology—and provides insights into career fields such as engineering, computer science, natural sciences, and mission operations. At the same time, it addresses questions concerning sustainable spaceflight, the responsible use of space, and societal and technological trade-offs.

LUKE thus combines STEM education, digital skills, education for sustainable development, and career guidance in an innovative educational offering that can be reused across Germany over the long term.

The space industry needs highly qualified workers to maintain its leading position in international comparison. Together with Germany’s first Free-Flyer mission, LUKE’s content will help spark and sustain students’ interest in science and technology. Through actively engaging with space science methods and products, students will therefore be able to recognize spaceflight as a potential career field at an early stage.